Dress-shield



(No Model.)

DEWEY. Dress shield.

a Patented Nov. 30,1880.

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IINITED STATES PATENT Cnrrcn.

MARY DEWEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRESS-SHIELD.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 234,909, dated November 30, 1880. Application filed April 3, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, IVIARY DEWEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dress-Shields, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates toimprovement-s in dress- -shields, intended to be worn in the armpits to protect the dress and sleeve under the arms from being soiled or discolored by perspiration; and the objects of my invention are to provide such a shield which will be impervious to moisture, and which can be readily cleansed or washed when soiled by wear. I attain these objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of such a shield with a portion of the outer covering broken away; and Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the same on the line :0 ac, Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in both figures of the drawings.

A is the shield proper, made ofgutta-percha tissue or any web of material impervious to moisture. B is the outer covering, made of coarse linen or any equivalent material. The shape of the shield A is of the usual form, as is also the shape of the covering B. The covering consists of two layers sewed together so as to form a pocket, having two flaps extending down from the concaved top portion. An opening is made in the under side in the center of the concave portion, the edges 11 b of the opening lapping upon each other. The shield is inserted at the opening, and extends unbroken over the central concave ridge and down into each flap coextensive with the interior thereof, and is held in place by its contact with the upper and under layers of the pocket without stitching or other fastening.

The edges of the opening, when the shield is in, may be loosely basted together, or folded upon each other without basting, as may suit the wearer, and in either case the shield can be readily removed and the pocket washed when soiled by wear, and when washed the shield can be readily replaced therein for another wearing.

The pocket forms a complete envelope for the shield. By this means the shield is held in place without being punctured at its edges and along the concave part, as is usually done, greatly to its injury, and is not subjected to any strain and liability to tear through the center or part which covers the seam joining the sleeve and dress-body under the armpit. Cleanliness of the article is thus made practicable and durability of the shield is secured.

The opening or mouth of the pocket for the insertion of the shield may be located in a diiferent place from that shown to secure the same result.

I am aware that dress-shields have been made of one or more layers of cloth with a layer of water-proof webbing, the cloth being either placed above or below the water-proof webbing, and in some instances on both sides of it, but in all cases permanently secured to it. Great objection is made to such shields, because the cloth and water-proof webbing, being permanently secured together, practically cannot be washed when soiled, and the article must be thrown away after a few times wearing, and being usually punctured at the concave upper edge in stitching together, they permit the moisture to pass through, and the water-proof webbing so punctured and held rigidly is liable to tear at that part on the slightest strain. Shields so made I do not claim; but to avoid these objections my improvements are made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

An improved dress-shield, consisting of a pocket, B, having an opening, and a detachable water-proot web, A, combined and arranged for operation substantially as and for the purpose specified.

MARY DEWEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. WHIPPLE, JAMES CAMERON. 

